We’ve decided to adopt a new dog, and I’ve done a lot of research on caring for him, including getting him the proper vaccinations and medications, plus all the other random products you need. Now I’m feeling into dog food. The problem is, I don’t want to buy just any random dog food. After having watched Food, Inc. earlier this year, I’ve made an effort to change my eating habits. I don’t want to compound the farming, medical, economic and cultural problems of our world caused by the large corporate food companies. So we’ve been trying to buy at the Farmer’s Market as often as possible, plus buy organic and other more environmentally friendly items. It’s hard getting started, but we’re feeling more confident as time goes on.

Now I’ll need to consider how to factor a pet into our new eco-minded ways. I’ve never owned a dog before, so I am starting from scratch regardless of the environmental considerations. Although I guess that could either be a benefit or a curse–a benefit since I have no habits to break, a curse because I have no idea of where to commence. My first thought was to look at some all natural dog food that I saw advertised. But as I researched, I observed that “all natural” can mean different things according to who uses the phrase. It’s not in truth regulated, and therefore can’t be trusted as a label. So now I’m looking largely at organic dog food.

There are a fair number of options available, which surprised me a little. I’m very pleased to find that dog owners think about their pets when thinking about eating healthful foods and stewarding the environment. I wonder if pet lovers are more likely to also be environmentally conscious? In any case, now I plan to narrow down the choices by examining the individual manufacturers. I don’t want to buy something that’s technically organic, only to find that they mistreat test animals or have an unusually huge carbon footprint. Someone also mentioned today that many people are switching to grain free dog food, since dogs in their natural state don’t really eat grains.

Much food for thought when it comes to choosing dog food these days. Though it’s taking a good amount of time to get all this research done, in the end I’ll feel better knowing my love for my dog is not hurting the environment or his health.